Resilient roller bearing adapter



Oct. 4, 1966 J. .1. HElNTzEL 3,276,395

RESILIENT ROLLER BEARING ADAPTER Filed June 1o, 1964 Bch/wl @www United States Patent O 3,276,395 RESILIENT ROLLER BEARING ADAPTER John J. Heintzel, Erie, Pa., assignor to Lord Corporation, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed June 10, 1964, Ser. No. 373,957 3 Claims. (Cl. 10S-224.1)

This invention is a roller ybearing adapter for railway cars with pedestal type side frames |which equalizes the bearing loads substantially independently of variations in dimensions of the frames.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a railway car side frame, partly in section, FIG. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIG. l, FIG. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of FIG. l, FIG. 4 is :a diagrammatic view illustrating the manner in which the adapter accommodates variations in dimensions of the pedestal, and FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view Hof the adapter cap plate.

In the drawing, 1 indicates the pedestal of a railway truck side frame, 2 indicates the journal, 3 indicates -a roller bearing, and 4 indicates the bearing retainer. These parts are of common construction.

The bearing is mounted in the pedestal by an adapter having a cap plate 5 with its under side provided with a semi-cylindrical recess 6 for the bearing cup 7. The recess has end flanges 8 straddling the bearing cup.

At opposite sides of the cap plate 5 are flanges 9 straddling the pedestal jaws 10. There is fa substantial clearance 11 between the flanges and the pedestal jaws which allows end play between the bearing and frame. This is important in reducing bearing loads. At the lower end of the flanges 9, the cap plate is formed with a guide surface 12 having a sliding clearance with the vertical surfaces 13 of the pedestal jaws. This positively restricts or limits movement of the bearing fore `and aft of the car. Between the rupper part of the flanges 9 is a body 14 of elastomer bonded to -a surface 15 on the cap plate 5 and to a channel shaped plate 16 embracing the pedestal jaiw (FIG. 3). The space between the surface 15 and the associated pedestal jaw is less than the thickness of the body 14 so that upon installation, the elastomer 14 is compressed between the surface 15 and the plate 16.

At the top `of the cap plate 5 is a body 17 of elastomer bonded to a surface 18 on the cap plate and to a channel shaped plate 19 having longitudinally extending anges 20 straddling the load carrying surface 21 of the roof 21a of the frame which extends longitudinally between the upper ends of the pedestal jaws 10. 'Ihe upper surface of the plate 19 is bonded to an elastomeric body 22 to permit distribution of the loa-d from the surface 21. The body 22 will conform to surface irregularities of the sur face 21.

The width of the roof 21a of the pedestal varies substantially. In order to accommodate this variation, the elastomer 22 has at its ends spaced inclined ribs 23. In the narrowest side frame shown at the right in FIG. 4, the roof 21a has `its outer side wall 24 spaced inward so that when the load is applied, the outer edge of the roof 21a strikes the ribs 23 at a point indicated at 25 and the gravity load compels the ribs to deform and assume the position indicated generally by dotted lines 26. In addition to the deformation indicated by dotted lines 26, there is also a sidewise deformation into the spaces 27 between the ribs. After the elastomer 22 has iiowed to the dotted line position 26, the roof of the pedestal is firmly seated so that it cannot slip and abrade the elastomer.

In the widest side frame indicated at the left in FIG. 4, the outer edge 24a of the roof strikes the ribs 23 initially at approximately the point indicated at 25a 'and as load is applied, compels deformation of the ribs to the position ice indicated substantially by tdotted lines 26a. By having the ribs 23 shaped so that the roof section 21a of the pedestal always strikes between the ends of the ribs, the pedestal is always centered and seated firmly in the elastomer 22 so that it cannot slip endwise under the service loads. Endwise movement is taken up by the body 17 which yields in shear under the endwise or axial motion of the journal relative to the side frame and also yields to allow for misalignment 'of the normally perpendicular relationship of the journal and side frame. The endwise motion is limited by the clearance 11 between the flanges 9 and the jaws 10, but even when this motion is taken up, metal to metal contact is limited due to the extensions 14a over the flanges 16a of the plate 16. The elimination of metal to metal contact prevents 4the extremely high shock forces. The elastomer also permits considerable rocking :movement between the journal and frame, thereby reducing stress on both the side iframe and the bearing.

In installation, the frame is jacked up to take the load off the journal and permit insertion of the adapter. As the frame is lowered after the adapter has been inserted, the roof of the pedestal makes initial contact with 'an intermediate section 28 of the tapered sides of the ribs 23 before the load carrying surface 21 bottoms on the central portion of the elastomer 22. This initial contact crowds or wedges the roof 21a of the pedestal toward the center, thereby equalizing the clearances 1,1 and allowing shear motion of the elastomer 17 I-as the axle moves axially in either direction from its central position. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the adapter 5 has rigid flanges 9 which provide a solid stop limiting shear motion in the elastomer 17. Because of this, the clearance 11 should be equalized at installation to assure proper functioning. Another advantage of the centering is to provide proper distribution of the car weight.

To insure centering, the space between the lower ends of the intermediate section 28 should be equal to or less than the minimum width of the roof 21a and the spacing between the upper ends of the intermediate section 28 should be equal to or 'greater than the maximum width of the roof 21a. This insures centering for both high and low limits of the roof dimensions.

Because rubber is incompressible, the bulge are-a such as that provided by the spaces 27 between the ribs is necessary to permit flow of the elastomer as the pedestal is lowered onto the adapter. Without the bulge area, a pedestal jaw with ya wider roof 21a would ride higher on the elastomer than a pedestal jaw with a narrower roof. A provision for bulge area equivalent to the spaces 27 is important in maintaining the required uniform height of the frame.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination with a railway truck frame having spaced pedestal jaws with la roof extending longitudinally between the upper ends of the jaws, said roof having a downwardly presented load carrying surface, the width of the roof varying substantially from frame to frame, and a railway car journal having a roller bearing between the pedestal jaws, an adapter cap plate above and anchored to the roller bearing, said cap plate having an upwardly presented load receiving surface spaced below the load carrying surface, cooperating stops lbetween the cap plate and the pedestal jaws providing for end play of the roller bearing relative to the pedestal jaws, a top plate spaced above the cap plate and below the roof, said top plate having an upper surface presented to said load carrying surface and a lower surface presented to said load receiving surface, a body of elastomer sandwiched between the lower surface of the top plate and the upwardly presented surface of the cap plate for transmitting load from the roof to the cap plate and for accommodating end play of the roller bearing, said top plate having downwardly converging longitudinally extending ribs of elastomerV straddling the roof with an intermediate portion thereof engaging the edges of the roof and wedging the roof toward the center of the top plate, the space between the lower ends lof said intermediated portions of the ribs being equal to or less than the minimum width of the roof and the space between the upper ends of said intermediate portions of the ribs bein-g equal to or greater ythan the maximum width of the roof.

4 elastomer bonded to said upwardly extending sections land to the upper surface of the top plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,136,733 11/1938 Dean 10S-225 2,207,848 7/1940 Barrows IOS- 224.1 2,229,429 1/ 1941 Travilla 105--224-1 X 2,267,466 12/1941 Janeway 308-184 2,282,161 5/1942 Brauer 308-184 X 2,299,560 10/ 1942 Travilla 10S-224.1 X 2,314,644 3/1943 Adams et al. 105-224-1 2,365,875 12/1944 lHersey et al. 308-1-80 2,573,159 10/1951 Noe 30S- 184 2,777,402 1/1957 Rossell 10S-225 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner. H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner. I 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A RAILWAY TRUCK FRAME HAVING SPACED PEDESTAL JAWS WITH A ROOF EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF THE JAWS, SAID ROOF HAVING A DOWNWARDLY PRESENTED LOAD CARRYING SURFACE, THE WIDTH OF THE ROOF VARYING SUBSTANTIALLY FROM FRAME TO FRAME, AND A RAILWAY CAR JOURNAL HAVING A ROLLER BEARING BETWEEN THE PEDESTAL JAWS, AN ADAPTER CAP PLATE ABOVE AND ANCHORED TO THE ROLLER BEARING, SAID CAP PLATE HAVING AN UPWARDLY PRESENTED LOAD RECEIVING SURFACE SPACED BELOW THE LOAD CARRYING SURFACE, COOPERATING STOPS BETWEEN THE CAP PLATE AND THE PEDESTAL JAWS PROVIDING FOR END PLAY OF THE ROLLER BEARING RELATIVE TO THE PEDESTAL JAWS, A TOP PLATE SPACED ABOVE THE CAP PLATE AND BELOW THE ROOF, SAID TOP PLATE HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE PRESENTED TO SAID LOAD CARRYING SURFACE AND A LOWER SURFACE PRESENTED TO SAID LOAD RECEIVING SURFACE, AND BODY OF ELASTOMER SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE TOP PLATE AND THE UPWARDLY PRESENTED SURFACE OF THE CAP PLATE FOR TRANSMITTING LOAD FROM THE ROOF TO THE CAP PLATE AND FOR ACCOMMODATING END PLAY OF THE ROLLER BEARING, SAID TOP PLATE HAVING DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING RIBS OF ELASTOMER STRADDLING THE ROOF WITH AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF ENGAGING THE EDGES OF THE ROOF AND WEDGING THE ROOF TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE TOP PLATE, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID INTERMEDIATED PORTIONS OF THE RIBS BEING TO OR LESS THE MINIMUM WIDTH OF THE ROOF AND THE SPACE BETWEEN THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE RIBS EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF THE ROOF. 